San Francisco Middle, High School Students Will Not Return To Classrooms Until The Fall
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Despite pleas from parents, students and city officials, the San Francisco Board Of Education has voted unanimously to delay in-class instructions for middle and high school students until the fall of 2021.
The unanimous vote came just hours after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that if the current trends in vaccinations and hospitalizations continue, the state will lift all COVID-19 restrictions by June 15.
"I want kids back in school safely for in-person instruction," Newsom said at a San Francisco news conference. "We've made that crystal clear...On June 15, we anticipate there will be no barrier to getting all of our kids safely back not just K-through-12 -- community colleges including institutions of higher learning. So the answer is affirmatively, by June 15 we will expect our kids safely back in school."
But the resolution passed by the Board of Education only states its the "firm intention to ensure all students are able to attend full-time, 5 days a week, in-person learning on the first day of school, August 2021."
The measure offered up by board member Jenny Lam was almost completely symbolic -- it's merely a step toward bringing all students back to classrooms for in-person instruction.
"This past year has been full of uncertainty and I hope this unanimous resolution makes it clear that we are united in our commitment to provide full-time in-person school," Lam said. "The work of getting all of our students back by next fall is our number one priority."
Some of the city's youngest students are expected to begin returning to in-person instruction this month after more than a year of distance learning because of the pandemic. A deal was struck with the teachers union to bring preschool through fifth-graders, special education students and vulnerable older groups back to in-class instruction starting April 12.
The board said remote learning will be considered as an option for students in the fall who cannot return to in-person learning for medical reasons, as well as for students who may benefit from remote learning for social-emotional, academic reasons or other factors.
